City manager hopeful left previous post under scrutiny

EDITOR'S NOTE: One in a series of stories profiling the finalists for Worcester city manager.

WORCESTER — Peter Graczykowski enters the fray for city manager with a history of financial accomplishments but also some baggage from his last public job.

Mr. Graczykowski, 42, is one of three finalists to emerge from a field of 30 applicants in the hunt for a successor to City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr.

According to his resume, Mr. Graczykowski managed a $170 million annual budget as city manager in East Providence, Rhode Island, where he was part of a state-appointed commission that turned a $14 million deficit into an $8.8 million surplus in fiscal 2012.

The East Providence Budget Commission oversaw the city's finances from December 2011 to September 2013 at the direction of the Rhode Island Department of Revenue. Mr. Graczykowski and the city's mayor served along with three state designees.

A Polish immigrant who speaks four languages, Mr. Graczykowski holds a business management degree from Westfield State University, a law degree from Western New England School of Law and an M.B.A. from Western New England University.

Though most of his career has been in public service, Mr. Graczykowski is currently working as a financial consultant after being fired from his city manager post in East Providence, where he worked from 2011 to 2013.

A conflict between himself and the city's then-police chief spawned headlines for months before his firing, however the particulars behind his dismissal remain murky.

Mr. Graczykowski was fired "without cause" by a 4-1 vote of the East Providence City Council last November. Helder Cunha, the councilor who called for the vote, told the media he had "lost faith" that Mr. Graczykowski was the right person to lead the city, however no specific reason for his firing was given.

Subsequent media reports showed that Mr. Graczykowski had been heavily criticized by Rhode Island State Police several months earlier for allegedly interfering with a state police investigation.

"(I) feel strongly that you need to know about the unprofessional behavior of Mr. Graczykowski," State Police Col. Steven G. O'Donnell wrote in an Aug. 27, 2013, letter to the city's mayor.

Col. O'Donnell, superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, informed elected city officials that Mr. Graczykowski sent him an email Aug. 22 criticizing state police for conducting an investigation into alleged misconduct of city employees without his knowledge.

"On its face, it appears that Mr. Graczykowski is attempting to interfere with a Rhode Island State Police investigation," Col. O'Donnell wrote, adding he found it "troubling" that the city manager appeared to not comprehend the "separation of power and authority between his position and that of Rhode Island State Police."

Col. O'Donnell, who serves as commissioner of the department of public safety, pointed out that Mr. Graczykowski himself had just been the subject of a state police investigation. That probe followed allegations that Mr. Graczykowski and two city councilors agreed on a deal involving then-East Providence Police Chief Joseph Tavares. The alleged agreement would have had Mr. Graczykowski fire Chief Tavares in exchange for a contract. At the time, Mr. Graczykowski was working as an at-will employee.

Mr. Graczykowski and the two city councilors were never charged for the alleged deal, though Col. O'Donnell said investigators found them uncooperative.

Col. O'Donnell's letter grabbed headlines, but Lt. Raymond J. Blinn of the East Providence Police Department said he believes it cast Mr. Graczykowski in an unfair light.

Lt. Blinn, a 24-year veteran, defended Mr. Graczykowski as an "excellent city manager" who got caught up in the "nastiest bit of politics" he's seen during his tenure in East Providence.

Lt. Blinn said that Mr. Graczykowski suspended Chief Tavares in early 2013 after receiving complaints from officers regarding hostile working conditions on the force.

Lt. Blinn said he believes Chief Tavares enjoyed political connections that insulated him from discipline. The chief was subsequently reinstated by a state-controlled Budget Commission, he said.

Lt. Blinn said he believes Mr. Graczykowski always acted in the best interests of the city and police, noting that police officers overwhelmingly took a "no confidence" vote against Chief Tavares last year. Chief Tavares resigned in May.

Ward 4 Councilor Chrissy Rossi — one of the two councilors investigated by state police — said Wednesday that the allegations of collusion were false. She praised Mr. Graczykowski as a shrewd financial manager who helped the city of 47,000 climb out of debt.

"He has a great mind, and it would be a mistake for Worcester to pass him by," Ms. Rossi said.

Mr. Cunha did not return requests for comment Wednesday about Mr. Graczykowski's ouster.

Mr. Graczykowski said Wednesday he felt changes in the membership on the council were the prime reason he was let go.

"Councils do change," he said. "Another council came in, and they decided to hire someone else."

Mr. Graczykowski, an Edgartown resident, declined to comment specifically on Col. O'Donnell's letter. He said he believes he acted professionally and in the best interests of the city's public safety departments.

In an email, Mr. Graczykowski emphasized his work turning around finances in East Providence and Springfield, where he served as administrative services director for the public works department.

"My hands-on experience and measurable results in the area of economic development (will help me) guide Worcester in the direction of sustainable growth," Mr. Graczykowski wrote.

The police chief controversy was not the only time Mr. Graczykowski faced criticism close to his firing. The month before, according to EastBayRI.com, he proposed five-figure compensation increases for himself and two other administrators in East Providence that were rejected by the City Council.

Mr. Graczykowski said Wednesday that he proposed those boosts after unions in the town received "significant" pay increases. As city manager, he had a salary of approximately $127,500.

The Worcester job is the third post for which Mr. Graczykowski has been named a finalist in the last 18 months.

He was a finalist for Lowell city manager in March. In February 2013 he was unsuccessful in becoming town administrator in Tisbury, a Martha's Vineyard town of 4,000.

Tisbury selectmen awarded the job to John W. Grande, who was the director of Framingham's planning department. The Lowell City Council awarded the job to state Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lowell.

District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri, who chaired the committee that selected finalists, said he could not discuss Mr. Graczykowski's history since interviews with candidates were conducted in executive session.

Daniel J Racicot, chief of staff for Mayor Joseph M. Petty, said the mayor also believes it would be a "disservice" to the process to comment on any of the candidates prior to their public interviews next week.

Mr. Graczykowski's interview is scheduled to take place from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Sept. 11. The council is expected to select the city manager later that night.

Contact Brad Petrishen at brad.petrishen@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BPetrishenTG.